She met him as a fan in the stands of San Jose-just another face in a sea of teal, watching a boy who skated like the world was still something he could win. He noticed her anyway. What begins as a quiet, accidental connection grows into something consuming: late nights, shared dreams, and a love that feels inevitable long before it feels safe. She falls for him before the world does-before the pressure, before the expectations, before hockey stops being just a game and starts becoming everything else. They build a life in the in-between moments. They promise forever when forever still feels simple. They get married, believing love will be enough. It isn't. Told through a series of fractures disguised as memories, If I Loved You Less, I Might Have Stayed unravels a marriage one apology at a time: Something he did. His apology. Her forgiveness. The damage that never actually healed. Because love doesn't disappear all at once-it erodes. Quietly. Repeatedly. Until the weight of what's been forgiven becomes heavier than what remains. And when the apologies stop, it isn't because things got better- It's because she finally learned how to live without them.

ADI BLUE was head over heels for the youngest brother of the Hughes since she was born ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS LUKE HUGHES knew he loved the hot headed blonde and finally took the risk of becoming her boyfriend BUT will how much can a relationship hold while being 600 miles away?

paige bedard learned early that loving something meant sacrificing for it. the early mornings, missed birthdays, and the quiet pressure of carrying a last name hockey already knew. but, there was always one place she didn't have to be paige bedard: connor bedard's little sister, captain of the wisconsin badgers, alternate captain for Team Canada, and star forward of the vancouver goldeneyes. it was the place she could just be paige and that place was wherever macklin celebrini was. they met at thirteen, two north vancouver kids with dreams too big for their bodies. he stayed on the ice after everyone left. she stayed with him. driveways became rinks, summer nights became promises, and somewhere between shared playlists, lake days, and silent understanding, paige fell in love with him. she just never told him. he was macklin, her best friend. her almost. because almost was safer than losing him completely. then, came the leaving- he went to boston to chase the NHL. she went to wisconsin, where she became captain and one of the most dominant players in college hockey before returning home as the face of the goldeneyes. phone calls became texts and texts became nothing. years passed, but feelings didn't. now, at nineteen, paige stands at center ice in milan with a silver medal around her neck and an "A" over her heart. a loss she can't escape. hockey, for the first time, doesn't feel like enough. until she sees him... across a city thousands of miles from where they began, macklin stands there and suddenly she's thirteen again. macklin was never just her first love, he was her unfinished one and some people, no matter how far you skate or how much time passes... you always find your way back to them.

𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵: 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 ... 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯. 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭. 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘬...𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘤𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘤!

teammate's sister secret relationship dark past dual pov instagram + real life Olivia Knight has already built a life in Chicago by the time her brother is traded to the Blackhawks. At twenty-three, she's disciplined, private, and deeply focused on her law school internship-someone who keeps her world small because it feels safer that way, despite the constant stream of word vomit swarming in her head. When Spencer moves in, the life she's carefully controlled begins to expand whether she wants it to or not. Connor Bedard is part of that expansion. Younger, sharp, and disarmingly open, he notices the things Olivia doesn't volunteer-the way she avoids certain questions, the tension she carries, the boundaries she never explains. What starts as shared space and quiet conversations turns into something slower, built on trust rather than urgency.

21-year-old journalism student Jade Callahan needs her big break. 20-year-old Will Smith needs to prove he belongs in the NHL. Neither of them needs the distraction of their instant, explosive hatred. But the more they clash, the harder they fall. And soon, the rookie and the girl trying to prove she belongs in a male field, will have to decide what they're willing to risk for the one person they were never supposed to want. will smith x jade callahan ⭐️